Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Making It (+ Giveaway!!!)

Residing smack dab at the intersection of "walk" and "talk" are Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. Creators of the popular DIY and sustainable living blog Root Simple (formerly 'Homegrown Evolution') and the book The Urban Homestead (described by the New York Times as "the contemporary bible on the subject"), Kelly and Erik have, in short, got it goin' on, strong.

By their own description, the couple "grow food, keep chickens, brew, bike, bake, and plot revolution from their 1/2-acre farm in the heart of Los Angeles." I approached them several years ago, while I was working on my book "Keeping Chickens" with a solicitation as potential candidates for profiling (to which they willingly obliged). Truly kind, generous individuals, when I found out they were working on another book, I knew I wanted to promote it as much as possible.

Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World is their newest publication. The book is packed with projects that'll move you from being a consumer to a producer. From building an oil lamp to creating laundry soap, from fermenting to wild foraging, this book contains all you need to know about keeping a sustainable house, from seasoned folks living the life. Perhaps the most genius aspect of the book is that it's arranged by "time spent on a project and how frequently that project is done over the course of one year" (as detailed by its press release). That way, you know from the onset just how much of a time commitment a project requires.

Kelly and Erik's publisher, Rodale, has generously provided me with a copy of Making It for my own use as well as one to give away to a small measure reader. To enter the giveaway, just leave me a comment describing something you currently purchase that you'd love to someday make. For me, it's cat litter. With 5 geriatric cats, we go through a lot of litter (What I wouldn't give to get them to use the 11 acres of forest just beyond the front door! Only one of them currently does this. Sigh). I'd love to learn to make my own biodegradable cat litter. It'll happen. It's only a matter of time.

I'll leave the contest open to U.S. residents through next Monday, May 23rd, midnight EST. Whether or not you win, or even enter the contest, do take a peek at Kelly and Erik's books and blog. They're clever, compassionate, creative folks that you'll want to get to know.

I just put this book in my wishlist, it looks awesome! I'd really like to start making some clothes for myself and my family, there just never seems to be the time (or maybe it's my lack of patience, me and my sewing machine don't have the best relationship!).

I'd love to sew my own clothes. I have a sewing machine and know how to sew a bit beyond the basics, but somehow clothing projects just never turn out quite right. Maybe I just need to lower my standards. ;-)

I just ordered this book! I have their first book and it was the first thing I came across validating that there are others out there doing exactly what I wanted to do. My next thing to make is my own laundry detergent!

Chicken broth/stock for all the soup I make in the fall/winter. It seems like such a simple process, but why does it scare me so much?!? It is just one of those silly things for me, like attemping to cut an artichoke.

I want to make everything! From food and condiment (like Sara's ketchup and mustard idea), to clothing and cleaning supplies. I want to make my own linens and butter and shoes and furniture and electronics. Ok. I'll go with that. I want to make a beautiful floor lamp for my living room.

There is something so exciting and satisfying about making something that you've formerly had to buy. This book looks awesome.

I'd love to make my own facial moisturizer. I use a lot of it in the fall / winter and would really like to have full control over what goes into it, unfortunately I have very sensitive skin so I'm nervous about messing with what I put on my face. Another reason to make my own, I know, but I don't know where to start.

Indian pickle! At last I feel confident with my water bath canning skills & am now ready to try making some of the staples we buy that come in jars, cans, and other packaging. We love the spicy mango pickle, but I'm curious to try and find something more local than a mango or lime to spice up our Indian meals.

Baby clothes. I'm just about to embark on my very first sewing projects (so far I'm a knitter and crocheter) but I have several pregnant people in my life right now -- and hope to follow suit one day myself -- so imagine not having to give in to all those adorable (and expensive) store-bought baby clothes? I'd prefer to make my own, thanks.

I've been working on this - making more & buying less - in baby steps. Next on my list... I want to make bread that my kids will like (the "kids liking it" being the challenge) and I'd like to start making my own personal care/beauty products.

I'm reading The Urban Homestead right now. I'd love tohave this book qued up next!

glutenfree bread. It's sad- I garden, cook/bake everything else from scratch and yet glutenfree bread terrifies me. So I continue to drive to the specialty food store halfway across town so that I can have a piece of toast.

Cheese! I love cheese and I'd love to make my own someday. I think the only things holding me back are A) it seems like kind of an expensive hobby and I'm a poor graduate student, and B) I have way too many hobbies as it is!

What wouldn't I like to make?!! Definitely this summer, it's canning my own food. Dairy products run a really close second, followed by beer and champagne.I just bookmarked this video yesterday on making wood pellets, which are a replacement for the expensive feline pine cat litter I'm currently buying. Hope this helps!

I'd love to learn how to make all natural soaps and skin care items. I'd also love to learn how to brew our own beer ..I know my hubby would enjoy that!! We already make a few things at home, but I do love learning new things to make instead of buying.

I've been making all kinds of things lately - yogurt, goat's cheese, diapers, chicken coop, laundry detergent and just recently deodorant. If I don't win, I am definitely getting their book! love their blog.

We are currently working our way through your "Home Dairy" book and loving it! Next on our list is homemade body care products..shampoo, deodorant, lotion, lip balm, etc. the "Making It" book looks fantastic!

I'd like to do DIY laundry soap and cleaning items. That would be great. The homemade bio-degradable kitty litter would be amazing too and it would be a huge money saver. I'd love to learn how to do that someday as well. One step at a time :)

what wouldn't I like to make myself is the real question! Definitely a lot of household goods I'd like to make myself (laundry soap, bath and body products, cleaning products) since they eat up so much of our budget and contain so many harmful chemicals. Thanks for the contest, really hoping I win but even if I don't I will definitely be picking this book up in the near future. I love these guys!

I want to make all of my own cleaning supplies - I'm working on it, one at a time, but I need to perfect some of the concoctions! My big-time goal is to nail down some sewing skills - then I'll make bags, blankets, you name it.

I would love to have a small garden on our balcony that makes us self-sufficient in herbs and small vegetable potted plants, like tomatoes. This is a short-term goal. A long-term goal may be to develop some more serious urban homesteading skills.

Also: make more of my own beauty and cleaning agents and develop my sewing skills. I made my homemade scrub once, easy and simple!

- Get brown sugar and olive oil. An essential oil is optional for scent.- Mix equal parts brown sugar and the oil. Scrub. (You can make a tiny amount just as a one-off, so you won't have to worry about it going bad).

I'd love to make my own comfy undies. I got a big ol booty and most undies ride up, around, all over town. A good sewing machine with a serger could really do the trick...Also shampoo, yoghurt, and hard cider. If I don't win, I'm definitely buying this book!

Ooo, I just made my mayo today, which was something that I'd been thinking of doing for a long time. Also, a homemade cleaning solution that helps with soap scum a bit better than vinegar or baking soda!

Furniture...I can never find just the right piece and it can't be that difficult to make completely unadorned pieces. But I'll settle for refinishing pieces I found in mom's basement this weekend! As my fanciest tool is currently an electric sander.

Is "everything" an option? Whenever I complete a project I get so satisfied and inspired to make even more things at home. This week it was bread, pasta, washcloths, and almond butter along with planting chamomile and lavender. What could it be next week?

I'd like to make a homemade life. I do it here and there, knit, crochet, I have made crock pot soap, my own deodorant, some lotions and potions. But I'm spotty at best at doing it in an organized and ongoing fashion. I would love your book!

someday, i'd like to learn to sew and make clothes. more immediately, though, i really want to start putting food up for the winter! i think this is the year it's going to happen. thanks for the chance to win!

I just got my first two hives of bees about a month ago so I can't wait to use honey as our main sweetener and come up with as many uses for beeswax as I can. Thanks for the giveaway! thedawnharris@hotmail.com

I would love to learn more about making natural shampoos and conditioners, I hate the residues and scents of most commercial stuff, but can't afford the more 'natural' products. Cleaning supplies as well, I hate having chemicals in the house.

Hmmm...That's a tough one. I've made mustard and mayonnaise, started to replace my cleaning products--mainly with that AWESOME stuff you posted on D*S a while back, and we recently made a foray into handkerchiefs instead of Kleenex. My biggest challenge is sticking with these things rather than giving in in a moment of weakness.

I would love to make some of my own clothes and knit more of my own socks. And this season I'm hoping to dry my own herbs--it's the little things, right?

Cat litter, dog food, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, shampoo/conditioner, soap, pretty flowing dresses, etc. etc. If I had my way, and the knowledge and time to do it, I would try to make almost everything!

Well last year I "conquered" yoghurt, candles, beer and pickled eggs. This year I'd like to do pickles, goat's milk soap, tomato sauce and ketchup. I grew paste and sauce tomatoes spefically for the job :)

There are lots of things I want to make but right now I'm inspired by the dirt on my coat sleeve. We mix up potting soil ourselves for starting seeds (I spent the last half hour mixing up a batch for transplanting seedlings out of flats) but right now we use the same ingredients that go into the commercial stuff. Vermiculite (bad for the environment), perlite (also bad), peat moss (really bad), and compost (at least we got one right). I would love to "make" our own peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite but the last time I checked I couldn't find a lot of options for replacement. Of course, that was quite a while ago....

My clothes! I'm new to sewing and can make a mean pillowcase but when it comes to garments, finding a class in my town has proven to be rather difficult. I'll keep at it though.Oh, and I've love to make my own dishes, cups, bowls, etc. but my pottery skills leave much to be desired.

I need to spend more time "making it" for our family. I already make our floor cleaner (hot water, vinegar, lavender, lemon juice), but would love to make our laundry detergent. I'm hooked on a spendy bath salt, and need to quit that habit and learn how to make my own.

I already make my own hair care products (no shampoo, occasional vinegar-based conditioner) and facial cleanser (oil washing --- check it out!), and use vinegar for most cleaning applications. I also can fruit and tomatoes, make jam and yogurt, and am trying to keep a strain of sourdough alive.

I've been meaning to learn pickling, make chocolate syrup, and amass more sewing skills. I spin, quilt, and crochet, but three-dimensional design eludes me and is thus a major stumbling block in clothing production.

we've been slowly switching over all of our cleaning and bath products & ive done some basic sewing and knitting, curtain panels, pillow covers, scarves but i'd love to work on my own clothes, quilts etc.

So many things I would like to embark on making.However, I am looking at fingerprints all over my computer screen and a natural, all-purpose cleaner should probably be the first item on my "to-make" list. (and probably the simplest)...

I have so many things that I want to shift from buying to making but we're in the middle of a cross state move so I'm a little preoccupied. I think the first thing on the list once life settles down is I'd really like to make my own soap.

I took a class last summer to learn the basics and I really can't wait to give it a try on my own.

Not sure this qualifies...but I want to make my own electricity (so to speak). I am just dying to convert to solar for my mobile home. I am sure I could get by with only 1 or MAYBE 2 panels, but I just can't afford to buy the panels. So I am researching making my own solar panels or something similar.

I think weed killer, (lord knows whats in that!) and limescale remover here in the uk our water is really hard and lime scale is the bain of my life! :)

Also Ashley as a quick p.s. one of my cats took to using the garden straight away but the other was a really slow learner, but it's great when they do it the way nature intended, I'd be happy to share the how to of getting your 4 felines to poop outside if you'd like?..

there are so many things i am currently trying to make, or want to make in the future - food, clothes, bedding, cleaning supplies, toiletries. love that another poster said electricity - how awesome is that!

I'm working on switching over our household cleaners but end up busy and in need and break down and buy some cleaning spritz - but this summer I'm going to take a Saturday,get some containers and make some cleaners so that they're ready to go when I need them!

About Me

Making an attempt to craft a good life with my husband and young son in a small mountain community. I find pleasure in the light at dusk, atlases, hard cider, cat antics, dog breath, baby giggles, homemade ice cream and snorty laughter.
Author of the "Homemade Living" book series (Lark Books) which showcases topics related to small-scale homesteading and some of the diverse ways people are reconnecting with their food and food communities and taking up sustainable food practices.
I also host a bi-monthly column every Friday on Design*Sponge:http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/small-measures.
E-mail me directly at: ashleyadamsenglish(at)gmail.com.

The Best LIttle Chicken Coop in Candler

"The Big Problem is nothing more or less than the sum total of countless little everyday choices, most of them made by us and most of the rest of them made in the name of our needs and desires and preferences."-Michael Pollan